Lufthansa Highlights Stockholm/Gotland

Gotland – Dead beautiful!

His books are full of grisly murders, but crime writer Håkan Nesser seems wonderfully normal here on Gotland, his picturesque, if inhospitable, home of choice. It inspires in him an undying passion – and he even shares with us the view he plans to make his last in life.

Secluded Baltic Sea: recluses and romantic coasts

Hermit:Håkan Nesser prefers solitude while writing. He lived for a time in this small wooden cabin on the Furillen peninsula while his new villa on Gotland was being built

Home port:The wharf at Visby represents the link between the Baltic island and the Swedish mainland. During the summer, up to nine ferries from Oskarshamn and the Stockholm suburb of Nynäshamn tie up daily in the old Hanseatic port

Wildly romantic:Limestone fields and an industrial ruin combine to lend the Furillen peninsula its own, very special charm. A jetty still stretches far out into the waves from the old factory. It was from here that the limestone from the quarry was loaded and shipped

Håkan Nesser's Gotland: a murderous island

Coffee break:Håkan Nesser with his wife, Elke, and dog, Norton, in the garden of Tute Stenugnsbagen bakery. Many islanders drive a long way for Erik Olofson’s delicious, freshly baked bread

Postcard pretty:The wharf at Sysne is practically deserted; only one person still lives in the old fishing village – but it looks far from dying out altogether because the fiskbutik in Sysne still smokes fresh plaice, salmon and turbot and customers flock here from all over Gotland

Håkan Nesser was born in Kumla, Sweden, in 1950. Until 1998, he worked as a teacher, writing novels only in his spare time. Then he decided to become a full-time author. At the time, Nesser had already published the first volume in his world-acclaimed series of Inspector Van Veeteren books. By 2003, he had written nine more about the gruff detective, and all have since been made into movies. The bestselling author is now working on a new series featuring detective Gunnar Barbarotti.